Nightmares
by The Original Geek
Summary: Mary is having nightmares, and Chris is there to help her through them. But will her mightmares ultimately help him? Chris/Mary, rated K for some minor cuss words and kissing.


**Note: **My first attempt at fanfic - hope I got the "voices" right. Neither the Seven nor Mary Travis belong to me. Wish they did...

**Nightmares by TechnoGeek**

"Noooooo!!" Mary Travis screamed in anguish as she watched Chris Larabee die, shot in the back by one of the outlaws he and the other lawmen had been trailing. She awoke from the dream with a jerk, her heart pounding furiously, the bedclothes soaked with sweat. "Why?" she whispered. Why did she keep having the same dream night after night? It had been happening for almost a week now, and she was beginning to be afraid of going to bed, afraid of what she would see in her dreams.

What scared Mary almost as much as the dreams themselves was her reaction to them. When had the tall, taciturn lawman become so important to her? Was it when he became 'Chris' instead of 'Mr. Larabee'? She shook her head, trying to clear the images and thoughts that were running through it. _Time to get to work anyway._ Maybe if she threw herself into getting the paper out she could forget the dreams, at least for a little while.

--

Chris watched from the porch of the sheriff's office as Mary came out of the Clarion, a frown flitting across his face. Even at a distance he could tell something was wrong. She'd lost weight off her already rake-thin frame, and her face was pale and pinched. He was willing to bet that if he got close enough, he'd see smudged shadows under her eyes.

"Something's eating at that girl," Buck Wilmington said, echoing Chris' thoughts.

"Yep," Chris said as he pushed away from the post he was leaning on.

"Well, what do you aim to do about it?" Buck watched Chris closely. He, like the rest of the Seven, knew that his friend was developing feelings for the young widow and whenever possible he liked to encourage it. He liked the changes he had seen in Chris since they had come to Four Corners and he knew that Mary had played a large part in those changes.

"Reckon I'd better find out what's going on." Chris moved to intercept Mary. "Morning, Mary. Can I have a word?"

"Of course, Chris. What can I do for you?" Mary spoke softly, but Chris could hear the weariness in her voice and something deep inside of him tightened.

"Let's go over to the paper and talk," he said, putting his hand in the small of her back to guide her. Behind him, Buck smiled.

Once they were inside the newspaper office Chris asked, "Everything okay with Billy? The Judge and Mrs. Travis?"

Confused, Mary nodded. "They're fine," she said. "I had a letter from them just the other day."

"And the paper? Everything okay here?" Chris pressed.

"Everything's fine, Chris. Why are you asking me all these questions?" Mary had turned away from Chris. She knew she was a terrible liar, and the last thing she wanted was for Chris to figure out she was lying to him. She couldn't tell him about the dreams - it would sound too silly.

Something inside Chris snapped at her evasion. His worry over Mary drove him to spin her around, grasping her arms. "Damn it, Mary, it's obvious something's eating at you. You look like hell, you obviously haven't been sleeping..."

"Well, don't you know how to compliment a lady!" Mary brought her arms up to break Chris hold on her and pushed him away. "The only thing bothering me at the moment is you, Mr. Larabee, and I wish that you would stop it!"

Chris reacted as if he'd been slapped and Mary felt a twinge of guilt go through her, but she resolutely pushed it away.

"Fine!" Chris yelled as he spun on his heel and stomped out.

"Fine!" Mary yelled after him. Only after the door slammed behind him did she allow the tears she had been fighting back to fall.

Across the street Buck and Vin Tanner watched Chris storm off towards the saloon.

"Think he found out what's bothering Mrs. Travis?" Buck asked.

"Nope," said the tracker. "But he will." The two men smiled at each other and set off to the saloon themselves.

That night Chris sat hidden in the shadows on Mary's porch. Despite her act that afternoon he knew something was wrong, and there was no way he was going to leave her unprotected until he found out what was going on.

As he sat listening to the sounds of the night, his thoughts drifted to Mary. He hadn't meant to let her get through the shell he'd carefully constructed around himself. Hell, he hadn't meant to let anyone through, but somehow Mary and the six men who dared to call him friend had worked their way into his heart.

Mary. He wasn't sure if what he felt for her was love yet, but it was more than friendship. Somehow the days seemed just a little brighter when he saw her, the road he was on just a little less lonely when she smiled at him.

"Noooooo!!"

Chris leapt from his seat as he heard Mary scream. In a second he was inside the house, his gun drawn. "Mary!" he yelled, bursting into her bedroom. She was sitting straight up in bed, her eyes wide with terror. Chris scanned the room quickly, looking for an intruder. Seeing no one was there, he holstered his gun and went over to her.

"Mary," he said softly, shaking her lightly to snap her out of the trance she was in. With a muffled sob she threw herself into his arms. "Shh, shh, it's all right. I'm here," he murmured, holding her close and stroking her hair.

After a few moments her shaking stopped and she pulled away from him. He brushed the tears from her cheeks. "You gonna tell me what's going on now?" he asked softly. And because she was so tired and spent, she did.

"Every night for the past week now I've had the same dream," she told him, shifting out of his arms and staring down at her hands. "You and the others ride out of town, after another gang. I watch you ride off, and then all of sudden I'm out at the bluffs. You re all there, you've got the gang pinned down and you re firing at each other. All of a sudden one of them is in the rocks behind you, and he... he..." She stopped, the dream image rising up in her mind. She started to shiver again.

Chris felt her stiffen and pulled her back into his arms. "It's okay, Mary. It's just a dream."

"But it seems so real! Every night the same dream. Chris, it frightens me." _I'm afraid I'll lose you too._ The words sprang into her mind, terrifying her almost as much as the dream.

"It's going to be okay." As Chris stared into her eyes, he was overcome by the fear and longing he saw there, a longing that matched his own. Slowly he lowered his lips to hers for a tentative kiss. As she responded to him, he deepened the kiss, tasting the sweetness of her mouth. Suddenly he realized where they were and why he was there. "I'm sorry," he said pulling away from her. "I shouldn't have... I didn't mean to... oh god, I'm sorry..." He was so disgusted with himself at taking advantage of her that he stumbled over his words. He turned away, and got up off the bed, stumbling towards the door. "I'd best leave now. If you're all right, that is."

Mary was dazed from the kiss, amazed at how good, how right, it had felt. Not so dazed though, that she didn't pick up on Chris emotions. "Chris, don't," she said softly, putting her hand on his arm to stop him. "Don't blame yourself for this. You didn't force yourself on me. I wanted this as much as you did."

"You're upset, not thinking clearly. I shouldn't have..." He still couldn't look at her.

Mary got out of bed and put her wrapper on before going to stand in front him. Without saying a word she kissed him, her arms going around him and pulling him close to her. Chris stiffened with surprise and then responded to the kiss, running his hand through her hair and down her cheek. After a moment she pulled away and smiled shakily at him.

"There," she said softly. "Now we're even."

An unwilling smile flitted across Chris' face. "I'd still better go," he said, caressing her cheek. "Wouldn't want your reputation to suffer. Will you be all right?"

"I'll be fine. Will you?" she asked. She could see that he was still feeling a bit guilty about the first kiss.

This time he did smile. "See you in the morning, Mary," he said, leading her back to the bed and tucking her. He brushed a kiss across her forehead before leaving. Mary fell asleep with a smile on her face.

--

"Morning, Mary," Chris said, smiling as she came out of the Clarion's offices. He was pleased to see that she was gaining back the weight she had lost, and the shadows had faded from under her eyes. Telling him about her dreams seemed to have helped, since she hadn't been bothered by them since that night, three days ago.

"Morning, Chris. Coffee?" she asked, offering him a steaming mug.

Down the street Buck and Vin watched the pair, indulgent smiles on their faces.

"Now ain't that just a beautiful sight," Buck said, clapping Vin on the shoulder. Buck didn't know what had happened between Chris and Mary, but whatever it was, he approved. Over the last three days Chris had been more relaxed than Buck had seen him in a long time.

"I have to admit, they do make a handsome couple," Vin agreed, watching Mary slip her hand into the crook of Chris' arm as they walked back to the Clarion. Chris and Mary had obviously come to an understanding, and he was all but outright courting her. Vin hoped that things would work out for the two of them. Chris deserved a little happiness in his life.

Over the next few weeks things were quiet in Four Corners. The others watched as Chris and Mary grew closer each day, and silently cheered them on. Then the telegram came.

JD was the first person the telegraph operator was able to find, so he was the first to see the telegram. When the contents had sunk in he immediately set off to find the other men. Josiah he found at the church, Vin at the Sheriff s office, Nathan at his rooms, studying a medical text Mary had managed to get a hold of for him. Ezra and Buck he found at the saloon. Last was Chris. He had taken Mary out for a picnic, and when the six rode out to get him they found him and Mary relaxing under a tree, quietly talking. At the sound of their horses Chris leapt to his feet.

"Trouble?" he asked, seeing the grim expression on their faces.

"We got a telegram. Lacey gang's on its way here," Vin said. "If we ride out now we can catch them at the bluffs."

"Let's go then," Chris said, his expression turning as grim as the others'. Behind him he heard Mary gasp, and felt her hand on his arm. He turned to face her, and saw the fear in her eyes.

"Chris... "

"I know, Mary," he said, squeezing her hand. "But you know I have to go. Will you be okay getting back to town on your own?"

Mary nodded and watched as Chris saddled up and rode off with the others. She had a terrible feeling that it was the last time she would see him. She tried to force the feeling down as she gathered up the remnants of the picnic and headed back into town.

The Seven rode hard, and made it to the bluffs before the Lacey gang. The gang was a collection of cutthroats and thieves that had been terrorizing the surrounding area, and the men were determined that they would not terrorize Four Corners. They quickly set up in a defensive position, so they could confront the gang without being exposed. They didn't have long to wait before the heard the sound of horses coming towards them. As the gang rounded a bend in the road, Chris fired a shot in front of them, forcing them to stop.

"That's far enough," he said, keeping his gun aimed at them. "You re not welcome in these parts, so why don't you just turn around now and no one'll get hurt."

The gang's response was to dive for cover, pull their guns and start shooting at the Seven. The Seven returned fire. As the bullets flew back and forth, Mary's words suddenly echoed in Chris' mind. _You've got the gang pinned down and you re firing at each other. All of a sudden one of them is in the rocks behind you._ Chris felt the hairs on the back of his neck lift and spun around, just in time to see a figure rise from the rocks above. He fired quickly and one of the outlaws fell to the ground, dead. The battle was over quickly after that, with six of the outlaws dead on the road, and two wounded and in custody of the Seven. The Seven had sustained only minor wounds - Chris had been shot in the arm and a bullet had grazed Josiah s temple.

As they rode back into town, Vin turned to Chris. "How'd you know that guy was up there?" he asked quietly.

Chris hesitated. "Not rightly sure. I just knew." He found he couldn't tell Vin about Mary's dreams. He wasn't even sure what he believed. Were the dreams merely coincidence, or something more?

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter how you knew, just that you did. "

--

Mary tried to concentrate on the story she was trying to proof, but she couldn't. The men had been gone for hours, and she had worried every single minute since they left. She alternated between praying to God to keep Chris and the men safe, and cursing Chris for making her care enough to worry like this.

Suddenly she heard a commotion from the street. Steeling herself, she rushed to the door. JD, Buck, Vin and Ezra were taking two men to the jail. There was no sign of Chris, Josiah or Nathan. Fearing the worst, Mary rushed out and grabbed Buck by the arm.

"Buck, where's Chris? Is he..."

"Now, Mary, calm down. Nathan's patching Chris and Josiah up." Before Buck could tell Mary that Chris' wound was only superficial, she had pulled away. She ran all the way to Nathan's room, tearing up the stairs two at a time. She almost ran Josiah down as he was coming out of the room, a small bandage on his temple.

"Ma'am," he said, smiling as he tipped his hat to her and continued down the stairs.

Chris and Nathan looked up as she burst into the room. Chris' shirt was off, and Nathan had just finished cleaning and bandaging the flesh wound on his arm.

"Chris..." Mary murmured, her breathing rapid from the run.

Nathan watched as Chris and Mary's eyes met. He could almost see the electricity leap between them. "I think that's my cue to leave," he said grinning. "If you need me I'll be at the saloon." Chris and Mary didn't even notice him leave.

Mary sat on the bed and reached a shaky hand to touch the bandage on Chris' arm. "When Buck said that you'd been shot, I thought..."

Chris stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry, Mary. I should have come and seen you first, let you know I was okay."

"You are okay, right?" Mary asked, looking hard at Chris. "It is only a scratch?"

Chris hesitated and then took Mary's hands in his. "Mary, something happened out there. The Lacey gang was shooting at us and we were shooting at them, and suddenly I remembered your dream. I looked up behind me, and someone was there - just like you dreamed. If it hadn't been for your dreams I would have died out there today. "

"Then I'm glad I had them, even if they did scare me half to death," Mary said, hugging Chris close to her.

"So 'm I," Chris said. He buried his face in her hair, drinking in the scent of her. "You know what they say, though. Once you've saved someone s life, you're responsible for them."

"Well, then, I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on you to make sure nothing happens, won't I, Mr. Larabee?" Mary smiled at him, a smile full of hope and promise.

Chris smiled back at her. "I think that's a fine idea, Mrs. Travis," he said, his smile mirroring hers.

The End


End file.
